Even a Blind Hog Can Find an Acorn Every Once in a While.......

One of my goals this year is to bring new and different merchandise into the store on a very regular basis. Not just things that "find me", as most of them do, because I just never have the time to get out and about. I promised myself to make a monthly trip to Canton each month, which means I have to close the shoppe for the day so it had better be a productive shopping trip for me. You can imagine how disappointed I was this morning when the major thunderstorms were on their way with freezing rain behind them......I mean, I am a shopping warrior, but I'm not stupid. There was no way I was going to Canton Trade Days, driving almost three hours each way, just to be miserable. Fortunately, I have a few favorite haunts around the metroplex where, if I feel like digging, I can usually come away with a few treasures....still, it's always a crap shoot to say the least. Plus the fact that I was going with "rules".......I had a hundred dollars in my pocket and that was going to be "it"...no debit cards, no ATM....nothing. .....also, everything had to fit in my SUV and I already had a couple of items in the back that needed to be unloaded. I was determined to stick to my guns and play by the rules, as difficult as I knew that could be....
However, when the morning started it didn't appear that I was going to run out of money, much less break my rules. BUT, if you've ever heard the expression "even a blind hog can find an acorn every once in a while", then you know there is always hope.........I kept diligent as I had a mission and have to tell you that I only made three of my five scheduled stops before my hundred bucks was history. Still, I think I did good.....you decide. I got a total of 25 items and came home with $5.00......but it started pretty rough as these pictures attest....

The worst of the worst..............And it didn't look like it was going to get much better......

But this is what I ended up with for the day........it even includes some major rust, just to prove I love it all!
A great old mirror.......wonderful just for leaning against the wall.

A few close ups of my "finds"....this shelf will, of course, be white or maybe robin egg blue.Hand carved.....needs to be a shabby white, don't you think?

I can never pass up an old coin purse or needle packet.

I can never resist the bronzed baby shoes......and have never seen a Mary Jane shoe....it's so adorable.....AND cut and pressed glass with sterling tops...

And some more close-ups....I collect Mother prints and hang them on one wall in my guest bedroom.......Complete books of old sheet music....can't have enough of this stuff.

I had to buy these lamps ??? just to get the beautiful lacey antique shades....oh, well..

My two best finds.....both hand painted and absolutely gorgeous!

And one more of these for me.....

To add to all of these........

You gotta wonder why I wanted this little guy.......

Cause I already have a whole lot of them and isn't it the rule you have to own them all or your collection doesn't count?.......:)

Hope you enjoyed my treasure hunt......and it was indeed that. I don't think I have ever seen so much useless junk in my whole life....but then again, I don't shop at the obvious places...I mean, anyone can find a treasure at an antique mall or estate sale, right? You gotta go where the weak dare not go....or as my husband says....where only Jana or the brave venture.........and the scarey thing is.....all these places know me by name, making them not so scarey after all!

Only two days left in this month to comment and/or follow to win twelve vintage hankies....and I promise to send the winner some of the best....

Make Your Day Great,

xo, jana

Quick Project Thursday #3

Want the very latest in gorgeous mini lampshades at a fraction of their designer cost? It's as easy as a pair of chandelier lampshades, a blouse from your local thriftique (thanks for this word Sissie) , and any ribbons, trims, buttons or jewelry you will want to use for the embellishments...

Sound too outlandish to work.....well, it's actually very simple.

Choose a blouse with long sleeves that is preferably made of a fabric that has some give to it . If the ends of the sleeves are frilly, then alot of your work is already done for you. Follow the simple directions below and see how beautiful if can become:

1. Cut the sleeves at a straight angle at the bottom of the armhole.

2. Slide the arm piece down over the lampshade with the cuff at the bottom of the shade. If there is not enough "give" to the fabric, simply turn it upside down to have more fabric to work with.

3. Glue the edge of the fabric around the bottom of the shade and allow the fabric to turn to the inside of the shade....neatness counts here.

4. At this point, decide if you are going to use the excess fabric at the top of the shade for a "scrunch" effect or if you want a more tailored look. If you are scrunching, work the fabric down onto the shade until you can glue the top edge at the top of the shade....again, neatness counts. If you want a more tailored look, cut the excess fabric and proceed with the gluing process as stated.

5. Decide what embellishments you desire...fringe, lace, flowers, buttons, crochet edges, etc....the sky is the limit depending or your particular taste.

Who wouldn't know these shades didn't come from a high end designer's shop....they are little pieces of art.

Thanks for stopping by.....and if you have a quick afternoon project, then think about joining us next week....it's fun & it's sharing. Just let me know.

Make your Day Great!

jana

White Wednesday & My Giveaway!

Welcome to my late White Wednesday.......it's not that I don't have alot of white, because I really do.......it's just difficult to know what to choose. This week I've started working on some paper mache hat boxes covered in old magazines and such.....I thought I would post them before I started all my embellishments, because I'm not sure how "white" they will end up when the project is actually completed......still, these are a wonderful way to store all kinds of things in a "pretty way".....

Then there's a sweet little dessert tray, all painted white with handmade porcelain roses......

I'm not sure why it has taken my paperwhites so veeery long to bloom, but I think I like them in January....and they smell delicious!

I hope you enjoyed your visit today......if you want to see more beautiful whites, use the button on my sidebar to see the other participants in White Wednesday hosted by Kathleen at Faded Charm. It's always feed the senses.

Also, I hope some of you can join us in Quick Project Thursdays.....just let me know your "in" so I can link to you as well....it's always fun to share! It's almost the last day of the month, which means there will be a drawing from all the comments received during the month for twelve of the beautiful hankies I acquired last week.......anyone following gets two chances.....

Make Your Day Great!

jana

Sweet, Sweeter.....and Sweetest!

I have always had an affinity for things vintage or antique that had anything to do with children. I always wanted two or three kids, but was blessed with just one beautiful baby girl as the plan would have it. Perhaps He knew just how high maintenance she was going to be and knew that was probably just about all I could handle......:)

I adore all of the antique linens for babies and especially love these beautiful linen and silk baby pillowcases. They are so sweet.
Then, of course, there are all of the precious vintage clothes as well. The fabrics are wonderful and the detailing exquisite.

Then there was always the amateur artist in the family to capture the little one at one of their sweeter moments.....

But it goes without saying that there's nothing like the real deal in the present day....my sweetest five month old Tater Girl.......a little mussed from the mall trip and the newly pierced ears (please don't even ask, as it was just too traumatic for Gammy), but beautiful nonetheless..

Thank you all that gave their suggestions and ideas for the table top........I'll be working on it this next week and will keep you in suspense as to which idea I chose when I reveal the entire set next week sometime :).......In the meantime....this is the last week of the month, so be sure to comment and follow for two chances to win the twelve vintage hankies from the stash I received last week........

Also, come and play Quick Project Thursday this week and share one of your ideas of a quick afternoon project with everyone.....we'd love to have you....Grab my button, post on Thursday, let me know you're playing so I can link to you as well...and YOUR DONE!

I survived the mall, but barely.....oh my.....that's a scary place!

ciao, jana

Can Anyone Out There Help Me???????

I love Saturdays at the shoppe......they are usually busy, but in a slow, smooth manner where customers just come and go all day long. All of my regulars are accustomed to me working at the art table or behind the counter and often come to see what I am doing. Because of that, I am able to complete projects while still taking care of their questions and purchases without them feeling neglected. My goal this year, or one of them anyway, is to finish the projects I started last year, all the time working in the new projects that are always bouncing around in this head of mine.

Today I finished my velvet grunge Valentine pillow..it has a tattered embroidered banner across the front and antique velvet ruched roses on the corner.....as well as my little "Be Mine" door hanger.....nothing big, just fun stuff. .....but these are not the things I need help with....so bear with me.

This is also the set I worked on today and am completely perplexed. Although I love the direction the little chairs are going, I have no idea now what to do for the table top.

So......let me know what you would do to complete this set......

1.......would you decoupage fabric matching the chairs onto wood, then cover with a lucite top?

2.......would you simply use a clear piece of lucite?

3.......would you simply use a piece of painted and distressed wood?.....

4.......would you do a chalkboard top?

I need help on this one......and I know alot more eyes can see what I cannot.....

I hope you have a beautiful Sunday......

I'm at the mall (ugh) buying bras :)

ciao, jana

A Potpourri of Saturday Pinks......

Welcome to another Saturday where we all share our beautiful pinks with the world. Because I don't like to simply scan photos from magazines, as I think we can all read our favorite magazines on our own.....I sometimes have a mishmash of things to share...which is the case today. When a friend dropped by last week she brought me a stack of vintage and antique linens, and I was pleased to get them, regardless of what they were. When you define yourself as a "bottom feeder", as I define myself, you appreciate anything and find beauty in everything. At the bottom of the stack I found this sweet hanky holder. It was begging for something pink, so it got one of my had dyed velvet and silk millinery roses.....

Full of vintage pink rose hankies, all with their original price tags indicating they once cost a whole 17 cents each

And another item in the shoppe is a vintage jewelry box with a mixed media altered art cover..

Open it up and it's "full of pink".

This precious vintage crocheted napkin holder is just the epitome of "sweet".....I love it.

I thank our host, Beverly, for putting Pink Saturday together each and every week.....If you want to see more wonderful pinks, just use the button on my sidebar to visit the other participants this week. I also invite you to join my Quick Project Thursday where we post simple projects that can be completed in an afternoon. Just grab my button, link back to my blog, post your project, and let me know to link to you.....it's simple....it's fun....and it's sharing! Also, comment and/or follow to enter my monthly giveaway. This month is almost over and you could win 12 of the vintage hankies I acquired this week.....I'd love to have you.

ciao, jana

Feeding the Habit.....

Last week a little 83 year old lady called my store. She shared with me she had boxes of lace that had been her mothers and wanted to know if I was interested in seeing it. I politely told her that I wanted to "see" it only if it was for sale......I mean...don't be teasin' me, right? After finally getting this sweet little soul off the phone 30 minutes later, I figured I'd never hear from her again because I told her I don't go to people's houses, they have to bring it to me...you know, security and safety and such.....and I knew that was going to be a challenge for her. Well, this morning Mona called to say she was on her way with the lace......I immediately felt my heart start racing. I mean, I have a real problem with this stuff....I don't just like it, I don't just love it, I have to own it ALL. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in what she brought me and have been tortured all day long because I haven't had a chance or the time to dig through my new stash. It satisfied me somewhat to dump it out and move it around to take these pictures, but I need to REALLY get into it to see just how wonderful all of it is.....for now, I can just feel that much better knowing that I have made this mine.....all mine......LOL

And over 100 vintage and antique hankys.......add this to my other 250 and it's out of control.......what ideas do you have to do with these. I know you can make a valance, tablecloth, pillows......what what ELSE have you seen out there....share with me....I'd love to know!

And then there were buttons....all from Germany and Chezkoslovakia ......ummmmm ....

Comment and/or follow to enter the monthly giveaway........I'm thinking this month it will be a handful of vintage hankies.........AND consider joining us each Thursday for Quick Project Thursday #3.......simple and easy. Just grab my button, let me know, share your project on your blog and link back to me........would love to have you.

xo, jana

Quick Project Thursday #2

Welcome to Quick Project Thursday #2......this project is fun and simple and is even useful. You can use any metal tray that works with a magnet, as the end result is a bulletin board. This particular tray measures approximately 20" across....it was silk screened with a tacky rooster that was happy to go.

Base coat the tray with white spray paint covering all graphics and color so the sheer pattern tissue designs show when decoupaged onto the center of the tray...allowing to dry.
Using a 3/4" brush and metallic gold paint, stripe the edge of the tray down to the center decoupaged area.
Use a coat of stain or distressing ink to knock the paint down and give it some age.
Clean up the line where the paint meets the pattern with a row of vintage buttons.
Drill two holes on the inside flat part of the tray, weaving a ribbon or cord through creating a hanger for your bulletin board.
Seal the overall piece with Krylon clear sealer.
Using large vintage buttons and magnets purchased at a hardware or craft store, affix them to each other using household epoxy glue.........you're ready to post important notes to yourself in your sewing room.......

join the other's participating today by using the links to the right....there's just a few of us right now, but there are enough ideas to keep you busy all week.......

I never said I was a neat crafter........my poor gallon of glue proves that point well.

Nice and easy, and looks wonderful hung on a door or above your work area.........

xojana